Controlled movement of astronauts in space is well known and exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,612,465, 4,917,215 and 5,042,173 each of which disclose structure for maintaining and stabilizing an astronaut while performing various tasks.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,465 discloses a pair of rails extending from the exterior of the space ship or space station on which the astronaut moves and is restrained by specially designed foot support means in combination with brake means to permit him to stop when desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,215 discloses a platform having a plurality of like spaced members disposed over the surface thereof which captively holds an astronauts foot-engaging support permitting him to move freely there over and stop when necessary.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,'73 also discloses an anchored rail with foot-engaging means permitting the astronaut to move or stop as desired.
The present invention, like the aforementioned patents, falls into the broad area of assists for aiding the movement of astronauts in space.